Pounds: State of the region

North Toledo elevator company Wurtec ceremonially broke ground April 14 for a new expansion, which will more than double the size of its current facility. As reported by Toledo Free Press Staff Writer Tom Konecny, Wurtec’s primary work involves designing and building the tools, parts and products contractors use to install elevators; the firm also builds elevators for residential use.

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The company has added 10 jobs in the past year, and as we do with any business that invests in our region, we extend a warm thank you to them for not just maintaining their presence but also growing it.

Steve Wurth, company founder and president, said, “A lot of the opportunities we’re finding are international-based. It’s probably our biggest growth sector. We’re just going through a really busy time here. It’s exciting for us as a small company to be able to do things like this.”

The Wurtec news came the same day as keynote speaker Tom Murphy told attendees at the 12th annual State of the Region Conference that, “Globalization is changing the way we do business today. Toledo, you’re in a revolution here whether you know it or not.”

As reported in an online story by Toledo Free Press Senior Business Writer Duane Ramsey, Murphy, a former mayor of Pittsburgh, said, “You need to think of Toledo, not as it is today, but as it can be in the future. You have to understand what your strengths are and use them to compete.”

Murphy said Pittsburgh invested in its cultural community and reclaimed the waterfront. Those are both lessons we should well heed.

Bowling Green State University’s Center for Regional Development reported on the state of the region’s economy in 2014, saying that 6,600 new jobs have been created in the region since 2009 for 1.18 percent employment growth. However, that figure is still well below the national average growth of 4.66 percent.

It’s a complicated recipe but it is not a secret. We have the ingredients. We just need more kitchens like Wurtec feeding the region’s local — and global — future.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Pounds: NW Ohio moves

As reported in the Toledo Free Press by Senior Business Reporter Duane Ramsey, Northwest Ohio is seeing major growth in its role as a distribution center for retailers, manufacturers and shippers, primarily due to its geographic location and access to multiple transportation modes.

“The region includes the crossroads of the Midwest with the intersection of I-75 running north-south and I-80/I-90 going east-west. It also has railroads running in all directions with CSX and Norfolk Southern lines that connect to the Port of Toledo for seaport shipments,” Ramsey wrote.

He focused on Calphalon Corporation, based in Perrysburg, which recently opened a new distribution center on Route 25 just south of Route 582 in Middleton Township in Wood County. Calphalon is operating out of the 363,000-square-foot facility on a 50-acre site.

Ramsey also wrote that Home Depot currently operates a rapid deployment center in Van Buren north of Findlay that employs about 350 associates; FedEx Freight opened a ground freight regional distribution center in 2009 that serves routes in Ohio and Michigan; and UPS operates the Toledo Hub facility in Maumee, a link in its hub and spoke system that routes shipments from local operating centers to centralized hubs for sorting.

Other distribution centers include:

Menards operates a 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center in Holiday City, located just off the Ohio Turnpike in Williams County. The facility serves Menards stores in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana as one of four distribution centers for the company based in Eau Claire, Wis.

The Findlay area is also home to several large distribution centers for retailers such as Best Buy and Kohl’s.

Lowe’s operates a 1.25-million-square-foot regional distribution center in Findlay that employs 650 workers. It is the equivalent of having about 28 football fields under one roof, according to company officials.

Best Buy operates a 1-million square-foot distribution center located on County Road 212 in Findlay. Opened in 1996, the facility employs 300 people and serves 177 stores in Ohio and seven other states.

Kohl’s Department Stores has a 780,000-square-foot distribution center located on County Road 140 in Findlay that employs 400 associates. It is one of 10 Kohl’s distribution centers in the U.S. and serves stores in Ohio, Michigan, parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.

Hercules Tire & Rubber Company, based in Findlay, operates a Tire Dealer’s Warehouse (TDW) distribution center there. TDW, a full-service tire wholesaler, is one of four divisions of the company that celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012.

Michigan-based retailer Meijer operates a large distribution center off I-75 in Newport, Mich. It serves Meijer stores in southeast Michigan and northern Ohio. The company operates another distribution center in Tipp City, Ohio, just north of Dayton.

This is a prime example of our region turning potential into reality. The distribution center momentum is a crucial building block in our growth and one our local development officials are wise to continue courting.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Super Refund Saturday is a one-day event during which KeyBank professionals provide free income tax preparation assistance to low- and moderate-income wage earners and held qualified individuals claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Super Refund Saturday will be held in Toledo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its partner, United Way of Greater Toledo, at 424 Jackson Street.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wood County District Library, 251 North Main Street in Bowling Green in partnership with United Way in Wood County and at the Sutton Center, 1854 East Perry Street in Port Clinton in conjunction with United Way in Ottawa County.

KeyBank is offering Super Refund Saturday services for the eighth year in partnership with community non-profits to insure these activities as convenient and accessible to individuals in the communities it serves.

“Filing an income tax return can be a confusing process for many, and affording a professional tax preparer may be out of reach,” James Hoffman, president of KeyBank’s Michigan/Northwest Ohio District, stated in a press release announcing the event.

“Super Refund Saturday is part of our commitment to local residents, and we aim to make the service convenient and accessible. It’s gratifying to help people file their federal returns for free and identify additional money through the EITC,” stated Hoffman.

The EITC, originally enacted in 1975, is one of the largest anti-poverty tools in the U.S. It is a refundable credit for low- to Moderate-income families, particularly those with qualifying children.

Qualifying children must be under 18 years of age and must be related by blood, marriage or official decree such as adoption. They must have lived with the taxpayer claiming the EITC within the U.S. for at least half the year.

Receiving the EITC greatly helps to balance the financial burden of families in need. However, taxpayers must file an income tax return to get it, even if they don’t earn enough to pay taxes.

The qualifying parameters for the EITC are too lengthy to include in this report.

To participate in KeyBank’s Super Refund Saturday, call 1-800-650-4357 for more information.

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TRANSPORTATION

Biodiesel fueling station opens in Monroe County

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Oct. 30 to celebrate the opening of a new biodiesel fueling station in Monroe that will service vehicles of the Monroe County Road Commission (MCRC) and Lake Erie Transportation Commission (LETC).

“The new fueling station will save on fuel costs,” said Mark Jagodzinski, general manager of Lake Erie Transit (LET), in a news release. “We are continually working to reduce our operating expenses and keep LETC operating within the tax levy renewal voted on by tax payers in August.”

Randy Pierce of the Monroe County Road Commission and Mark Jagodzinski of Lake Erie Transit check out a new biodiesel fueling station in Monroe with a new hybrid LET bus in the background. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Oct. 30. Toledo Free Press Photo by Duane Ramsey

LET has 33 vehicles that will be converted to use biodiesel fuel, according to the agency. MCRC has more than 125 pieces of equipment that use diesel fuel or gasoline to operate. Most diesel vehicles can use biodiesel with little or no modifications.

The biodiesel fueling station is located on MCRC property at the corner of South Telegraph Road and West Seventh Street in Monroe. Three 15,000-gallon tanks are located at the station, one with biodiesel, and others with diesel and unleaded gasoline to serve separate islands for each fuel.

“It represents a cooperation among government agencies that came together to get the grant for this project,” said Mickey Duffy, chairman of the MCRC.

Duffy recognized U.S. Rep. John Dingell and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow for their support of the project. Both Dingell and Stabenow spoke briefly at the ceremony and led the ribbon-cutting.

“We’re very happy to have this biodiesel fueling station after five years of planning and building this project,” said Joseph Lybik, commissioner of the LETC.

The station was designed and built through a joint-venture between the MCRC and LETC. The project allowed the MCRC to upgrade its existing fueling station and LETC to have a nearby biodiesel fueling location for its vehicles that serve Monroe County.

The agencies received a $1 million federal grant for the project with each contributing 10 percent or a total of $200,000 in matching funds for the $1.2 million total cost.

“It’s bringing tax dollars back into the community,” Jagodzinski said.

The collaboration allowed the two agencies to meet their fueling needs and avoid duplication in the future, according to officials from both organizations.

“This partnership gave us an opportunity to pull our resources together to become more efficient,” said Randy Pierce, director of operations and acting interim director of the MCRC, in the release. “With the use of the new biodiesel fuel, we are able to be more environmentally friendly and help control our operating costs. We feel this venture could create more opportunities to involve other agencies in the future.”

“It’s good for Monroe County, Michigan, the country, agriculture and the environment,” Dingell said about the culmination of effort by everyone involved in the project.

The use of biodiesel results in a substantial reduction of hydrocarbons, which create smog or ground-level ozone, and particulate matter.

Pure biodiesel fuel is nontoxic and biodegradable, made from vegetable oil, used cooking oil or animal fats. It can be 100 percent biodiesel or blended with traditional diesel fuel. The system in Monroe County is using biodiesel blended with diesel fuel, according to the MCRC.

Biodiesel is domestically produced so its price is not determined by world oil markets. More than one billion gallons of biodiesel were produced in the U.S. last year and it is currently the least expensive of biofuels, according to industry sources.

Soybean oil is one of the key ingredients in the biodiesel fuel now used in Monroe County, which is among the top five counties in the growth of soybeans in Michigan, according to Keith Reinholt of the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee.

“We grow things and make things in Michigan and this project is an example of what can be accomplished when everyone works together,” said Stabenow, who is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Lake Erie Transit (LET) has provided public transportation in Monroe County since 1980 and serves the needs of 400,000 riders annually. LET operates buses on eight fixed routes with 40-minute schedules in the City of Monroe. Door-to-door Dial-A-Ride services are offered in Bedford and Frenchtown townships in Monroe County.

The MCRC is responsible for maintaining 1,505 miles of roads in Monroe County. It performs a wide range of activities from cutting grass to removing snow in the winter.

New senior housing development opens in Sylvania

Area seniors now have another option for affordable housing with the grand opening of The Residenz at Sylvania, celebrated Oct. 19 by residents and local officials with the developers, Miller-Valentine Group of Cincinnati and Preferred Properties Inc. of Toledo.

The Residenz at Sylvania, located off Central Avenue in Sylvania Township, is a new community of apartment homes designed for residents age 55 and older. The development provides high-quality housing for older adults who have limited or no affordable housing options, said David Liette, president of MV Residential Development.

The Residenz at Sylvania is located on Percentum Road off West Central Avenue in Sylvania Township. Toledo Free Press Photo by Duane Ramsey

“Quality affordable housing for seniors is more important today than ever before,” said Liette, who reported that 10,000 baby boomers reach the age of 55 daily in the United States.

The 51-unit residential development is the first property built in Sylvania Township specifically for residents age 55 and over to utilize Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The project was completed using the federally-funded, state-managed housing tax credit program.

Without the federal tax credit program, the rent would run from $1,500 to $2,000 per month but the units at The Residenz rent from $550 to $700 for residents who qualify, Liette said.

Sylvania and Sylvania Township didn’t have any affordable housing that would qualify for this program, said MV Developer Peter Schwiegeraht.

“We definitely need affordable housing in Sylvania Township. It’s a great project for people in this area,” said Sylvania Township Trustee Kevin Haddad.

The demand is high for affordable senior housing and the location is within walking distance of a drug store, supermarket and home improvement center, Liette said. All but three of the 51 units in the three-story complex are rented, he said.

Two residents of The Residenz spoke at the ceremony about how they came to live there.

Lyn Drake said she had to move out of her condominium due to having multiple sclerosis. Someone called her after seeing a sign about the project at the Giant Eagle store on West Central Avenue in front of the development.

James Fenwick, president of MV Property Management, said the company had a sign advertising the project at the site, but were not receiving many calls about it. Then they realized the sign was located on the road that was closed due to construction of the project.

From left to right, Tony Feudi, store leader at Giant Eagle, resident Carole Ganzel, and James Fenwick and David Liette of Miller-Valentine Group. Toledo Free Press Photo by Duane Ramsey

When two local retailers, Giant Eagle and Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, heard about the dilemma, they offered to help market the project by putting signs for it on their property near Central Avenue. Fenwick said those “good neighbors” were responsible for informing many people who became residents.

“I’m so happy I found a new home here. It’s a great community where you have good relationships with your neighbors,” Drake said.

Carole Ganzel said her daughter, who lives in the area, called one day and said, “I think I’ve found a place for you to live.” Ganzel said that it’s a beautiful place to live and she has even seen deer on the property.

“We care about every resident and raising their quality of life,” Liette said at the grand opening.

“If you build it, they don’t necessarily have to come, but they have come here to this project that took a lot of collaboration and teamwork,” Fenwick said.

Miller-Valentine Group partnered with Preferred Properties, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, KeyBank and Sylvania Township to plan, finance, construct and now operate this $4.5 million project.

“It takes a lot of good partners to make a project like this happen. These are partnerships we need today,” said State Representative Barbara Sears, who supported the project.

Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing worked with Miller-Valentine and its partners to raise corporate equity to finance the project, reported Doug Klingensmith, vice president of development for the agency. KeyBank was the local lender for construction of the development.

“It’s always inspiring to see the final product of the projects which are tangible results of a tax program that works,” said Sean Thomas, director of planning and development for the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.

The agency allocated federal tax credits with federal and state funding for the partnership of federal, state and local governments and private partners on the project.

“The Residenz at Sylvania is the best community I’ve ever been involved in developing,” said Lew Ellis, executive director of Preferred Properties, who is retiring at the end of this year after 20 years of developing housing opportunities for adults with disabilities.

Ellis said Preferred Properties had an “excellent relationship with Miller-Valentine” developing more than 220 units of affordable housing in Northwest Ohio.

Miller-Valentine has been involved in developing, building, owning and operating multi-family real estate for more than 20 years.

The company built Oakwood Homes, a development of 80 4-bedroom single family homes for rent on Monroe Street in Toledo near the Toledo Art Museum.

The company also developed and built the Wauseon Senior Villas on the extension of Glenwood Avenue, one block south of Airport Highway in Wauseon. It has completed residential developments in the Northwest Ohio communities of Brian, Bucyrus, Delphos, Findlay, Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Napoleon, Van Wert, Walbridge, Whitehouse and Wapakoneta.

PTAC helps local businesses from new home at Owens

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) of Northwest Ohio, operating out of its new home at Owens Community College’s Arrowhead Learning Center, is on a mission to help area businesses secure more government contracts.

PTAC is part of a nationwide and statewide network of offices offering free education, training and consultation services to small and midsize businesses interested in selling their products and services to federal, state and local government agencies with a goal of maximizing contracting awards for Ohio businesses.

The Northwest Ohio location has helped its clients obtain $100 million in contract awards in its fiscal year 2011, which ended Jan. 31, said Michael Bankey, vice president of Workforce and Community Services at Owens.

Michael Bankey

The organization has 200 clients in a 15-county region and has gained about 18 new clients since opening at Owens in February, he said.

Owens was selected by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) to serve as the new home for PTAC in the Northwest Ohio region after the previous contract expired Jan. 31.

PTAC operated most recently out of the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator at the University of Toledo and prior to that at Bowling Green State University and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The service is funded by tax dollars in the form of financial support from the Defense Logistics Agency, ODOD and Owens make it possible for PTAC to offer the free services.

Gary Corrigan, market analyst for Workforce and Community Services at Owens, said Owens accepted the responsibility of investing in PTAC because economic development is in the best interest of the entire region.

“It’s an exciting portal for economic development that is often misunderstood,” Corrigan said.

Since the majority of government agencies now use a paperless procurement system and almost all requests for proposals for government work are posted online, businesses wanting to bid on those contracts must know how to use the electronic process. The PTAC offers businesses the tools and training required to successfully compete in the federal and state markets and acts as a consultant, helping businesses get involved in government contracting by walking them through the registration process at federal, state and local levels.

Initial consultations are conducted in PTAC offices and then it’s a one-on-one consultation process that often involves working with clients at their locations.

Mosser Construction in Toledo is one local business that regularly pursues government work and has utilized PTAC’s services.

“It’s a very daunting task since each level of government has its own little idiosyncrasies,” said Joe Luzar, vice president for business development at Mosser Construction. “It’s good to have a person and agency to consult with. That service is very beneficial to our business.”

TTL Associates Inc., a Toledo-based environmental, testing and geotechnical engineering firm that serves both private and public clients, has worked on 168 federal projects in the past three years.

PTAC helps companies understand how to use services the federal government offers to businesses, such as the Federal Business Opportunities website, said Thomas Uhler, president and CEO of TTL Associates.

“PTAC helps us to bring federal dollars back to the community through the work we do for the government,” Uhler said. “We get to know the contracting officers in the federal departments we do business with, which is a big advantage.”

The company’s construction management division provides oversight and quality control for federal construction projects across the country, such as a construction and rehabilitation job for the Department of Veterans Affairs at Marion (Ind.) National Cemetery.

TTL also has offices in Plymouth, Mich., Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and the Washington, D.C., area. Uhler was appointed to the board of trustees at Owens in June 2012 after having worked with PTAC before it was relocated to Owens.

Health Care REIT sets price for 12 million shares in public offering

Health Care REIT Inc. (NYSE:HCN) announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 12 million shares of common stock at $58.75 per share on Aug. 8. The offer was increased in size from 11 million shares announced this week.

The Toledo-based real estate investment trust (REIT) estimates that the gross proceeds from this offering will be approximately $705 million or $811 million if the underwriters’ option is exercised in full. The company granted underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1.8 million shares during the next 30 days.

The company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay advances under its unsecured lines of credit, to pay other outstanding indebtedness and for general corporate purposes, including investing in health care and seniors housing properties, according to the information announced on the Business Wire Aug. 8.

“Health Care REIT continues to differentiate itself through the consistency of its relationship investment program, as evidenced by $602 million of second quarter investments from existing relationships. Total investments of $1.1 billion during the quarter brings our total year-to-date investments of $1.9 billion and drives a three-cent increase in our 2012 earnings expectations,” stated George Chapman, chairman, CEO and president of Health Care REIT.

“Our ability to source high-quality investments in the seniors housing and (medical office building) sectors has significantly strengthened the quality of our portfolio and increased our private pay percentage. As we move into the second half of 2012, our investment pipeline remains strong as we continue to execute our business plan,” Chapman stated.

Health Care REIT announced Aug. 6 that it anticipates acquiring $925 million of seniors housing and medical office properties in the third quarter of 2012. The estimate is based on acquisitions closed so far in the third quarter and potential acquisitions for which the company has signed a letter of intent or other customary preliminary documentation.

The company believes that the potential acquisitions will include properties that, collectively, generate 97 percent of their revenues from private pay sources.

The anticipated acquisitions are expected to include approximately $583 million of senior housing triple-net lease properties, approximately $271 million of senior housing operating properties where the company is the majority owner, and approximately $71 million of medical office properties.

Approximately 81 percent of the potential acquisitions are expected to involve existing portfolio partners, consistent with its relationship investment strategy. The aggregate acquisition amount includes approximately $134 million of debt that the company expects to assume at an average interest rate of 5.6 percent.

The stock offering is being used to raise capital for investments already made and new investments, taking advantage of the positive environment in the senior housing and medical office building markets, according to Jeff Miller, executive vice president of operations at Health Care REIT.

The company believes that premier senior housing operators and health care systems choose to develop long-term business partnerships with Health Care REIT because of its reputation as a trusted capital partner with unique and sophisticated structures that meet the operators’ capital and operational needs.

Health Care REIT’s capital programs, combined with its comprehensive planning, development and property management services, make it a single-source solution for acquiring and developing real estate assets that include senior living communities, medical office buildings, inpatient and outpatient medical centers, and life science facilities.

All amounts reported by the company are estimates that are subject to change. The company’s anticipated acquisitions are in various stages of development and some or all transactions may not be completed on currently anticipated terms or within expected time frames, or at all.

On Aug. 6, the company announced operating results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2012. As previously announced, the board of directors declared a cash dividend of 74 cents per share for the quarter, compared to 71.5 cents per share for the same period in 2011, representing a 3.5 percent increase.

The cash dividend, scheduled to be paid Aug. 20, will be the company’s 165th consecutive quarterly dividend payment.

During the recent recession, the company generated one-year and five-year cumulative total returns of 21.1 percent and 71.3 percent, respectively. During the past 41 years, its investment strategy has generated a 16 percent average annual return for its shareholders, according to its 2011 annual report.

Health Care REIT Inc., a Standard & Poors 500 company with headquarters in Toledo, is a real estate investment trust that invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and health care real estate. The company’s diversified $15.8 billion portfolio consisted of 1,010 properties in 46 states and Canada, according to its website.

The company relocated its home offices into in the former headquarters of Dana Corp. at 4500 Dorr St. in September 2010. At that time, it employed about 95 people, Miller said.

He reported that the company has added positions as its portfolio has grown. It now employs a total of 365 employees across the country with about 140 of them based in Toledo.

The Senior Living Group and Medical Facilities Group are located in Toledo.

The firm’s Management Services Group is based in Jupiter, Fla. The company operates regional offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Newport Beach, Calif., and Brentwood, Tenn.

Sears named to Ohio Manufacturing Task Force

State Rep. Barbara Sears (R-Monclova Twp.) was named to serve on the 21st Century Manufacturing Task Force in Ohio, announced July 27 by its chairman, Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton).

The task force is designed to facilitate discussion and interaction between Ohio’s manufacturing community, public policy makers and interested parties regarding strategies to improve Ohio’s competitiveness, according to the press release.

The task force will hold the first hearing Aug. 9 at the Timken Co. in Canton and the second hearing will be held Sept. 27 at Owens-Illinois in Perrysburg. Additional hearings are scheduled for Oct. 11 in Springfield, Oct. 18 in Circleville and Nov. 15 in Columbus.

Each session will begin with a tour of a local manufacturing facility for task force members starting at 10 a.m. Hearings will commence at 1:30 p.m. and conclude at 5.

An emphasis on a specific aspect of manufacturing in Ohio will be made at each location with the goal of showcasing its diversity and importance to the state.

The hearings will include prepared presentations from manufacturing experts from across Ohio and the U.S. Time will be made available for the public to offer comments.

Barnes & Noble bookstore opens at UT Gateway

Barnes & Noble held a grand opening July 11 for its new bookstore at the University of Toledo’s Gateway Project at Dorr Street and Secor Road.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at noon followed by special appearances, events and promotions to celebrate the opening of the first tenant in the new commercial development.

“The opening of the new Barnes & Noble is a great way to kick off Gateway phase one and showcase the institution’s commitment to creating a student-centered environment,” said Matt Schroeder, vice president for real estate and business development for the University of Toledo Foundation.

The Barnes & Noble store at the University of Toledo Gateway Project opened July 11. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr

Schroeder said they began talking with students several years ago about concepts for a gateway on the southwest corner of the UT campus. That talk became a reality with the Gateway Project.

“We wanted to plant a flag in the ground to show our commitment to reinvestment in the community with the Gateway development,” Schroeder said.

In 2004, the UT Foundation created a subsidiary, the UT Foundation Real Estate Corp., to handle all real estate transactions and investment of property for the university, according to Schroeder. He joined the UT Foundation following the merger of the university and former Medical College of Ohio.

“The foundation’s sole mission is to utilize investment dollars to generate a return for the university and improve the overall experience for students to help with recruitment and retention. Students look at the overall experience at the university,” Schroeder said.

Students may not recognize the former UT Bookstore in its new home under the Barnes & Noble banner. However, Barnes & Noble has operated the university bookstore for more than 20 years, according to its general manager, Colleen Strayer, a UT graduate.

“We wanted people to feel like they’re into a Barnes & Noble store. We call it an academic superstore,” Strayer said.

Customers will recognize the typical bookstore displays with lots of additional features, including a full-service cafe selling Starbucks products. A convenience area will offer drinks, snacks, health and beauty aids for sale.

The snack area includes plenty of seating and WiFi connections for students to plug-in their computers, said Strayer.

An expanded general reading area will provide customers with a comfortable, quiet place to sit and read. In addition to textbooks, the store will stock best-sellers, bargain books and gifts usually found in a Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Strayer pointed out the new children’s reading area with an extensive title list and selection of games. Story time will be held every Thursday at 11 a.m. with live performances and readings by UT students in the café on a regular basis.

Strayer said the bookstore employs from 50 to 60 year-round employees with 99 percent of the staff being UT students. The workforce doubles during rush times at the beginning and end of each semester, she said.

Rocky the Rocket signs copies of his book "Hello Rocky" while Blue Crew member Buckets reads through a copy. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr

The grand opening activities featured book signings by two UT authors. Tom Barden, dean of the UT Honors College, signed his book, “Steinbeck in Vietnam” and Rocky the Rocket signed copies of the book about UT’s mascot, “Here’s Rocky!”

A musical quartet, composed of a UT instructor and three students, played at the grand opening. Coupons and samples were handed out to customers who registered to win prizes including a NOOK Simple Touch, Starbucks gift cards, UT clothing and accessories.

The bookstore and cafe are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“Barnes & Noble has been the anchor tenant and catalyst for additional retail business coming into Gateway,” Schroeder said.

Other tenants at Gateway include a Great Clips salon and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches scheduled to open in late July. Yogurt U and a Wireless Zone for Verizon are expected to open in early August with a new Rice Boulevard sushi shop later that month.

Gradkowski’s, a sports bar and restaurant owned by former Rocket quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, is expected to open in time for the first home football game against Bowling Green Sept. 15, said Schroeder.

In addition to those businesses, students will have the opportunity to experience living in The Lofts at Gateway on the upper floors of the development. Forty-eight one- and two-bedroom units with a total of 112 beds are available to UT students from sophomore through graduate level.

Each student has their own bedroom and lease ranging from $599 to $629 per month. Each unit features a modern kitchen with appliances, living room with large-screen TV, bathrooms and laundry facilities.

“The students love these lofts,” said Schroeder, who reported that they are currently at 77 percent occupancy and expect to have 100 percent occupancy by the start of the first semester.

Schroeder reported that almost all of the contractors working on the project are from Northwest Ohio. The Collaborative Inc. was the architect for the project and designed all aspects of it. Rudolph Libbe Inc. is serving as the construction manager and masonry contactor.

Ohio manufacturers need qualified skilled workers

The No. 1 issue facing manufacturers in Ohio is the difficulty finding qualified skilled workers to meet the needs of the industry in the state, according to sources at the Manufacturing and Distribution Update held June 27 at The Pinnacle in Maumee by Gilmore, Jasion & Mahler Ltd. (GJM).

Staff members from GJM learned about the continuing need for skilled workers while meeting with about 20 manufacturers in Northwest Ohio this year, reported Charles Heid, lead tax partner for the Manufacturing Specialist Group at GJM.

“We continue to hear that wherever we go in Ohio,” said Ryan Augsburger, managing director of public policy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA), who spoke to an audience of about 120 people at the update.

The continuing problem of finding qualified workers for manufacturers is the No. 1 issue facing that industry, according to Gary Thompson, vice president and director of JobsOhio for the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP).

Mike Mulholland, chief operating officer of the Freeman Co. in Fremont, said “it’s a continuing struggle” to find qualified skilled workers for the tool-and-die business with 58 employees. He said the company has faced a need for 10 to 15 new workers over the past two years.

Mulholland reported the firm is seeking skilled tool-and-die makers, as well as design, process and programming engineers for its modern, high-tech operation. Freeman focuses on thermal-form tooling for plastic containers used in the food industry.

He said they have found that students today are not encouraged to go into manufacturing if they have aptitude in engineering, math or science. Manufacturing is now a high-tech business that needs workers who are trained to meet their needs, according to Mulholland, who attended the update.

“Ohio is a manufacturing state that is among the top five in the U.S.,” said Augsburger. “Manufacturing was the leading source of new private investment in Ohio, which ranked first in the U.S. in new site selections.”

The $80 billion in manufactured goods in Ohio in 2010 ranked fifth nationally and was 17 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. The 600,000 manufacturing workers comprise 10 percent of Ohio’s workforce with $33 billion in payroll, according to the OMA.

Ohio ranks first in several manufacturing product categories and second or third in many more, Augsburger reported. The state is the ninth-largest exporting state with $46 billion in products shipped to 216 countries.

Augsburger said that manufacturing locates where the “all in costs” — including labor, energy, equipment, environmental, financing, research and development, technology and transportation — are the lowest.

“Ohio is the heart of manufacturing in the U.S.,” said Gary Thompson, vice president of the RGP and director of JobsOhio in this region, who spoke at the update.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit corporation, formerly part of the Ohio Department of Development. There are six regions for JobsOhio in the state with the Northwest Ohio region representing 17 counties. RGP is the local partner for JobsOhio in this region that is working to bring new business and jobs into Northwest Ohio, said Thompson.

JobsOhio focuses on manufacturing because that industry drives the state’s economy as the largest sector, with 21.2 percent. The state now looks for a return on investment for any incentives offered to companies for locating here under the administration of Gov. Kasich.

Thompson said JobsOhio uses the acronym HITS for Hire, Investments, Training, and Site as its criteria for working with prospective new business. It uses figures of $660,000 in payroll with a minimum of 10 employees and potential to grow by 20 percent for companies to qualify for job creations tax credit in Ohio.

“Manufacturing is part of the impressive economic community in Ohio and it’s important to come and stay together as a community to raise awareness and solve problems,” Augsburger said.

Augsburger is responsible for leading the OMA’s lobbying efforts at the statehouse in addition to spearheading the association’s member involvement in public affairs activities. He previously served as chief of policy and legislative affairs for the Ohio Department of Commerce and as personal aide to former secretary of state Bob Taft.

The OMA represents 1,500 manufacturing members in the state.

GJM is one of the largest accounting firms in the Toledo area and works with a variety of businesses in the manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, construction, government and not-for-profit industries. Heid is an active member of the tax committee for the OMA.

Heid is seeking local CFOs to participate in a CFO round table in Northwest Ohio. Contact Heid at cheid@gjmltd.com.

Ohio forms manufacturing task force

The creation of the 21st Century Manufacturing Task Force in Ohio was announced this week by Speaker of the House William Batchelder (R-Medina).

The task force is designed to facilitate discussion between Ohio’s manufacturing community, public policy makers and any interested parties regarding the state of manufacturing and what can be done to improve its competitiveness in the state.

The speaker tasked the group with identifying resources to assist manufacturing, impediments that curtail it, future challenges to it, trends and specific ways to address those trends. It could also facilitate new manufacturing opportunities based on the unique characteristics of each section of the state and ways for it to partner with higher education research and development.

Rep. Kirk Shuring (R-Canton), a longtime and strong supporter of manufacturing in Ohio, was chosen to lead the task force that will consist of five Republicans and four Democrats.

The task force will conduct five hearings around the state and must report its recommendations to the speaker no later than Dec. 31. The task force is expected to hold one of the hearings in Northwest Ohio.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association is working with Chairman Shuring on programming for the task force. For more information, contact Ryan Augsburger of the OMA at raugsburger@ohiomfg.com